Metal lath



8, 1946- G. E. DEATHERAGE 2,392,525

METAL LATH Filed April 21, 1944 HRH Maihf fl H Q Q L7 7 [7 /J Kw). Q [.747 174757 MAWUMJD INVENTOR. GEORGEL E. DEATHERfiEi HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 8, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 7 2,392,525 LAT-H George E. Deatherage, St. Va. Application April 21, 1944, sena1tio. 53 2.139 ('01. 72-117) 7 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in metal laths.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a lath that will not only prevent stucco or plaster coatings cracking but which will also aid structurally in the support of the partition framing to which it is attached in a building.

Another object is to provide a metal lath which, when properly attached to the studs or other structural members of the partition framing will transfer stresses imposed thereon to a plurality of said studs or partition members so that one or more studs will prevent adjacent studs sagging due to drying out or settlement of the' structure.

More particularly, the invention contemplates a plate-like lath of rectangular shape, preferably elongated, having a plurality of diagonally disposed ribs on one face thereof of such length as to traverse a plurality, preferably four, of the studs or framing members whereby if one of said studs tends to sag or settle, one or more of said ribs, which are fastened to the several studs, will be thrown into tension and, substantially, support or suspend the sagging stud from the adjacent studs to which the particular tensioned ribs are attached.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a vertical elevational view illustrating a lath embodying the present invention attached to the studs or other structural members of a partition framing;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modified form of the invention.

The present lath I is made of sheet metal and is preferably of rectangular, plate-like formation with a plurality of ribs I I and I2 extending diagonally across the face thereof. The ribs I I which may be referred to as the major ribs because they are of greater height than the ribs I2 which may be referred to as the minor ribs, are spaced from one another a suflicient distance to permit the formation of usually two minor ribs I2 between each two of said major ribs. All of the ribs extend parallel to one another and in the preferred form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, they are of sufficient length to span or traverse a plurality of the studs or other structural members I3 of the partition framing. In Fig. 1, these ribs are illustrated as crossing or spanning four studs I3 and by nailing the platelike lath to the several studs through the major ribs II at each point where the latter cross or intersect the several studs, any stud that tends ,to sag will receive support from one or more adjacent studs through those ribs which cross it and the adjacent stud or studs. In other words, it will be apparent that where a rib II is nailed to four consecutive studs I3, if the stud at the lower end of that rib starts to sag, the rib will be thrown into tension and the load of the sagging ribsupported or suspended from the other three studs to which the rib is nailed. Of course, that particular stud would similarly be supported through additional ribs I I but the latter would be attached to a lesser number of studs. Also, the laths may be nailed through some or all of the minor ribs I2 which will lend further support to sagging or shrinking studs.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3, the ribs II, I2 are also disposed diagonally of the lath but at an angle which results in their crossing only two studs I3. With this arrangement, each stud will receive support from only one adjacent stud through a single rib II.

It will be appreciated that the ribs may be inclined in either direction and that it is possible to use juxtaposed laths with the ribs disposed in opposite directions to produce a zig-zag arrangement of ribs as indicated in Fig. 1. The zig-zag bracing effect obtained in this manner is a, very eflicient and well known type of construction.

The ribs I I, I2 may be of any desired crosssectional shape and their degree of inclination need not conform exactly to those illustrated in the drawing. However, it is preferred that they be disposed at an angle of 45 to the bottom edge of the lath as shown in Fig. 1.

The lath with the major and minor ribs affords an ideal base or foundation for stucco or plaster and, at the same time, aids in preventing relative longitudinal movement of the studding, as previously pointed out. To aid in attaching the stucco or plaster to the lathing, as well as to minimize the weight of the laths, they may and preferably are formed with a. multiplicity of openings I4 between each two contiguous ribs.

What I claim is:

1. A metal plate-like lath of a length sufiicient to span a plurality of structural members of a partition, a plurality of nailable ribs on one face of said lath extending diagonally from one edge to the opposite edge thereof,said ribs being of a length sufiicient to traverse a plurality of said structural members to all of which said lath is.

tween the centers of at least two of said structural supporting members whereby the lath can be,

secured to at least two of said members'with fastening elements extending through said certain ribs, said fastening elements constituting the sole means of attaching the lath 'to said supporting members.

' 3. A metal plate-like lath of a length sufiicient to span at least three structural supporting members of a partition, a plurality of ribs disposed diagonally on one face of said lath, certain of said ribs being of greater height than the other ribs,

said ribs of greater height extending continuously across said face of the latha distance suificient to traverse at least three structural supporting members whereby said lath can be attached to all three of said supporting members by fastening elements extending through said ribs of greater height. GEORGE E. DEATHERAGE. 

